Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon
by Epsilon Zeta
Summary: When Li is abducted, the others attempt to formulate a plan of rescue however they stumble on a conspiracy bigger than they imagined...
1. Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon: Episode One

Author's Notes: Well, I got a few episodes done. Thanks for being patient while I racked my brain for ideas!!  
  
Disclaimers: Card Captors belong to CLAMP, all 'Invasion' dragon legends, all 'Legends' elder dragon legends, Tevesh Szat, 'Weatherlight' characters, non-Clow cards that are still represented as spells, some quotes and lots of other stuff belong to Wizards of the Coast. Relena belongs to Sunrise and TV Asahi. Don't sue. I only own Strider.  
  
Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon - Episode One  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Dozens of saprolings were surrounding Sakura and Kero while two dragons were in the air, carrying a struggling Li Syaoran and the Sword of the Chosen. "Kerberus, Sakura, go after those two dragons! I'll cover the saproling problem." Strider took out a black card. "Who would have thought that this would come in handy?"   
  
He tossed the card in the air. "By Tsabo's Decree, all saprolings shall exist no more!!" The decree sent out a mist, wiping all the little saprolings out. By the time the saprolings were wiped out, there was no trace of the two dragons that took Li. Strider silently cursed himself. He should not had left the trio by themselves with the Ur-Dragon crisis drawing closer to Kjeldor.   
  
"Come on, you two. We're going after those dragons that took Li." Sakura was about to take off when Strider grabbed her wrist. "Do you any idea where the dragons are taking him?" She shot a death glare at the entity. "I can try and sense his aura." She closed her eyes and concentrated for several seconds. Then they shot open with a panicked look. "I can't sense him anywhere!!!"  
  
"That's because they probably took him to an area that has a lot of magic. That magic must be interfering with your senses." Sakura hovered back down. Kero floated right in front of Strider's face. "So what are we going to do?" Strider released Sakura's wrist and turned to the guardian beast. "We pay a visit to the elder dragons."  
  
"The elder dragons?" The Defender nodded. "They are the respective predecessors of the dragons you saw. There are five elder dragons, one for each element of the Ur-Dragon's power. That element has been passed on to their successors. Each element uses energy from one of the five types of magic: Nature, Light, Fire, Water, Death."  
  
He paused. "One of the successors grew ambitious and hungry for power. He began to dominate the other successors through fear. If the successors were more mature, then they might have retaliated. Unfortunately, their fear got the better of them and they swore allegiance to the renegade."   
  
"I've been thinking...if we could eliminate this renegade, the others will stop their evil deeds?" Strider scratched his head. "Logically, yes. There may be a chance that they might still remain evil. After all, it has been the only life they have been able to live. I guess that we should try to teach the others about considering their options in life. And we'll probably have to help them get over their fears and force them to mature or else another being hungry for power might force them-"   
  
Sakura held up her hands. "Alright, we get the picture!!! Now let's go meet the elder dragons already!!!" She flew off into the night sky. Strider gave Kero an exhausted look. "I sometimes wonder if both personalities are contributing to that bottomless pit of energy." Kero shrugged. The two silently took off to catch up with the vampiress.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
'Where am I?' Li's body felt like a ton. He struggled to get up before he collapsed back onto the ground. 'I can sense all kinds of magic in this area!! Maybe that's the reason why I feel so heavy.' He started concentrating. Moments later, he got up with little difficulty.   
  
'I gotta thank Strider for teaching me how to tap into the Ley Lines.' (Ley Lines run all over the world and are heavily concentrated with magical power. This concept was originally invented by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books...I think?!? Don't sue!!!) He was about to run out when he noticed five huge golems blocking his way. He reached for the Sword of the Chosen but found it was not with him anymore. "Looking for this, perhaps?"  
  
The Chinese boy turned towards the voice. Before him, a gigantic red dragon loomed before him. He had wings that were growing from his head, stretching down to his lower torso. A mysterious medallion hung around his neck with a symbol on it. "Kami-sama...a dragon!!"   
  
The dragon chuckled at the boy's reaction. "That's probably the most original reaction I've seen in centuries." Li snapped himself out of his trance. "Why was I brought here?" He tried to take out his own sword but it wasn't there.   
  
"I had the Attendants remove all of your magical weapons and items while you were unconscious," spoke the dragon calmly while balancing the Sword of the Chosen on his index finger. Li glared at the dragon defiantly. "So what do you want with me?"  
  
"Taking the initiative, I like that. Anyway, I would like to know about the dragons that your Chinese mythology speaks of." A look of disbelief crossed Li's face. "Mythology? You kidnapped me here to discuss mythology?" The dragon chuckled. "You are a rare breed, able to understand the possibilities of certain mythologies coming to life."  
  
The look of disbelief was instantly replaced with a look of confusion. "What are you talking about...what do I call you anyway?" A small bit of smoke came from the dragon's nostrils. "I am called Darigaaz, the Igniter." Li looked at Darigaaz before restating his question.  
  
"I have heard about certain Chinese spells that may bring forth one of the eastern dragons in Chinese folklore. They appear to be highly skilled in strength, speed and other such qualities. I wish to see this for myself." Darigaaz's intentions suddenly dawned on the young Chinese sorcerer. "You can't be serious. Me?"  
  
"You are the only Chinese sorcerer we could acquire at the moment. We would have went for more experienced types but they would have put up a resistance. Treva could only heal us during physical combat. Magical combat is another matter." Li crossed his arms. "Even if I did help you, there would be certain things I would require."  
  
"Yes, yes...your safety, the safety of any comrades and friends. Plus the equipment, incantations and other such things. My friend, you do not have to worry about trivial matters like that at the moment. I'll give you some time to think and even meet the other members of my little group." Before the boy could reply, Darigaaz flew out of the cave.   
  
Li walked up to each of the golems and gently tapped them to check for a response. None came. He gave a smirk and started to head for the exit but the golems quickly blocked his way. Every time he tried to get through, a golem would step in front of him.   
  
"Force, know my plight!! Release the light! LIGHTNING!!!" A few thunderbolts came to strike the golems but there were no scratches. Li sighed as he started pondering how to escape.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
Next Episode: The trio pay a visit to the Elder Dragon Legends and battle Dromar, the Banisher... 


	2. Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon: Episode Two

Author's Notes: Ignore this little part and read episode two already!  
  
Disclaimers: Card Captors belong to CLAMP, all 'Invasion' dragon legends, all 'Legends' elder dragon legends, Tevesh Szat, 'Weatherlight' characters, non-Clow cards that are still represented as spells, some quotes and lots of other stuff belong to Wizards of the Coast. Relena belongs to Sunrise and TV Asahi. Don't sue. I only own Strider.  
  
Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon - Episode Two  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"Christ...they're huge!!!" Kero looked above at the towering elder dragons. Strider gave a small respectful bow. "Is there something we can help you with?" boomed one of the elder dragons. Sakura stepped forward defiantly. "Yeah. You can start with telling us where the hell your renegade successors took my friend!!"  
  
Strider clamped a hand over the Clow mistress' mouth. "Forgive my friend, she's just extremely concerned about the well-being of a comrade. Do you know which Ley Lines they would most likely be using?" The five elder dragons huddled together to try to come up with an adequate answer.  
  
"Knowing Treva, she would go for the Ley Lines in Karakas." A metallic dragon shot a glare at the dragon who just uttered that comment. "You do forget, Arcades Sabboth, that Treva is not the one leading the pack." Sabboth snorted. "Neither is Dromar, Chromium!!!"  
  
As the dragons bickered amongst themselves, Kero floated up to Strider. "I'm a bit confused as to which dragon is which and all that stuff." Strider gave an understanding nod. "Confusing, isn't it? What do you want to know, Kerberus?" Kero looked one more time at the dragons. "I don't think they're going to be able to talk to us for a while. Tell me about the dragons...might as well do something while the five stooges argue among themselves."  
  
"Vaevictis Asmadi is the predecessor of Darigaaz, the Igniter. They both concentrate their abilities on Fire energy. Darigaaz has a lethal flame-thrower while Vaevictis is more balanced, drawing his energy from the three main types of magic that sustain him: Death, Fire and Nature. With energy from those types, he can increase his attack power."  
  
"Arcades Sabboth is the mentor of Treva, the Renewer. With the both of them, their efforts are on Light energy. Treva uses it to increase the lifeforce energy of her comrades while Sabboth is a natural Castle." A giant question mark appeared over Kero's head. "Oh, sorry about that. Castle is a Light spell that gives creatures on the defensive side of combat additional defense power. Not only does Sabboth does that, he can use Light energy to increase his own defensive power as well."  
  
"Dromar, the Banisher focuses his efforts on Water magic as does Chromium. Dromar can use telekinesis while with Chromium...he is more of a physical fighting type. His additional Rampage ability forces his opponents to either defend properly or get squashed."  
  
"Crosis, the Purger is probably the only dragon whose ability matches that of his mentor, Nicol Bolas. Crosis uses Death energy to clear the spell inventory of any magical opposition. Nicol Bolas does this on a larger basis."  
  
"Last but not least, the two dragons that study Nature are Rith, the Awakener and Palladia-Mors. Rith can create saprolings while Palladia-Mors has the most common and dangerous ability Nature could offer: Trample. Trample can get combat damage through to its target if there aren't enough blockers assigned to take care of it." The five elder dragons finally finished their private discussion.  
  
"We have no idea." The trio fell over, creating a dust cloud. Vaevictis Asmadi gave a small sweatdrop before speaking. "I suggest that you check out each of the Dragons' individual lairs. They should be located near the sources of magic energy that fuel their power." Strider nodded. "Okay, I know where to start looking."  
  
"One moment, Defender. We have all decided that you would need our powers to combat the Ur-Dragon. We request that you seal us as cards," stated Nicol Bolas. A look of shock appeared over the entity. "Are you sure this is wise?"  
  
"We are old and cannot use our abilities to their full potential like we did centuries ago. You and your allies will surely benefit from our powers and our experiences." The other dragons agreed with Palladia-Mors's statement. Strider took out his staff and sealed the elder dragons with a heavy heart. The five Ultima cards flew into the entity's hand. He silently thanked them before flying towards the closest lair with Kero and Sakura right behind him.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"How much longer is this going to take?" Dromar shot a glare at Treva. "Your impatience never ceases to amaze me, Treva. Besides, this is a delicate matter and requires the utmost concentration." Treva rolled her eyes before shutting up her mouth.   
  
A few moments later, Dromar crowed in triumph. "Finally!!! It's all ready!!!" Treva took the charred piece of meat and gave a small sigh. "That's the last time I'm coming over for dinner. You take even longer than Darigaaz to burn the meat to a crisp!!" Dromar didn't give an answer. His mouth was full of burned lamb. Treva tossed her meal away in disgust and flew out of the cavern.  
  
Dromar gave a small shrug before returning to his indulgence. Strider gave a look of disbelief. "Holy mother of God...his eating habits are ten times worse that of Kerberus!!!" A small vein popped up in Kero's head and he bit Strider's finger. The entity gave a 'do you mind getting off my finger' look at the guardian. "I resent the fact that you're comparing me to this obvious pig!!"  
  
Strider was able to pull the stuffed animal off his finger when he noticed that Sakura was nowhere in sight. "Crap in a hat," groaned the Defender as he started to dart throughout the cavern, looking for the vampire. Loud chewing noises could be heard in the background noise of the cavern. "Thunder!!!" The dragon turned around to the source of the noise with his cheeks bulging with food. A gigantic lightning bolt hit him square in the chest.  
  
"Okay, scumbag. Where's Li?!?" Dromar let out a loud belch that forced Sakura to back off. "Thanks for that jolt. It must have gotten rid of that heartburn I was feeling. I guess I should slow down when I'm eating, huh?" Strider grabbed Sakura from behind.   
  
"Are you crazy, woman?!? Oh, dear..." The dragon spread his wings and started to glow blue. Stones from around the cavern started to fly towards the duo. They both jumped out of the way. Strider whipped out his staff while Kero transformed to his bigger form.   
  
"Damn...how do we stop this thing?!" Strider racked his mind for a solution. Finally it came to him. "Dromar's ability for telekinesis is activated by Water mana energy. Since his ability needs to be activated...if I can shut down the activation just long enough..." He checked his spell inventory and luckily he kept one copy of the spell he needed. "I hope I can find the rest of these in my collection...they would be invaluable against the rest of the dragons. Interdict!!!!!"  
  
The stones began to fall and Dromar found that he couldn't use his abilities. He could still physically fight but that was taken away when Strider placed the Pacifism enchantment card on him. The others gave a sigh of relief before moving in to interrogate the dragon. "We'll ask one more time before you're sealed for eternity. Give us the whereabouts of our comrade."   
  
Silence came from the dragon. Then he began to speak. "We must rid this world of all power that can be used to harm anybody." The trio fell over. "Great...the Pacifism spell must have given him the personality of Relena Peacecraft!!" Before the others could ask questions, Strider sealed the dragon and started flying towards Rith's Grove.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
Next Episode: Strider runs into a diabolical planeswalker who supposedly died in the Apocalypse war... 


	3. Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon: Episode Thr...

Author's Notes: Enjoy episode three!!  
  
Disclaimers: Card Captors belong to CLAMP, all 'Invasion' dragon legends, all 'Legends' elder dragon legends, Tevesh Szat, 'Weatherlight' characters, non-Clow cards that are still represented as spells, some quotes and lots of other stuff belong to Wizards of the Coast. Relena belongs to Sunrise and TV Asahi. Don't sue. I only own Strider.  
  
Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon - Episode Three  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"This is the area where Rith has been spotted, right?" Strider gave a weary sigh and forced himself not to explode at the annoying vampiress. "For the last time, Sakura, yes!!!" He took out a card. Perhaps the destruction of the saprolings would startle Rith so much that he would reveal his hiding place.   
  
"Outbreak, destroy all beings in the area known as saprolings." His staff struck the surface of the card and the Death spell began to work its magic. Startled yelps were heard in the forest near the grove. The entity quickly darted through the forest, following the trail of saproling corpses.   
  
"Alright, now I..." Strider's face fell at the sight before him. Several Verdant Forces were looking at him with fury in their eyes. Right behind them, he saw a creature, one of the Treefolk creatures powered by Nature magic. Another being stood near it.   
  
"I thought I sensed Rith near this area." This changed the mood of the elementals from fury to understanding. "I'm assuming you're trying to overthrow the Ur-Dragon to free the land?" Strider nodded. "Sorry to cause such a mess...Verdeloth, the Ancient, right?"  
  
The old Treefolk nodded. Strider turned his gaze to the other being. "You must be Nemata, Grove Guardian. A quick question, hotshot. When I cast the Outbreak spell, why didn't you drain the lifeforce of a saproling to give all the other saprolings a small temporary boost in power and defence?"   
  
"It's kind of hard to react quickly when you're a few centuries old." Strider was about to fly away when he noticed a trace of black energy. He narrowed his eyes as he focused on the source of the energy. In the shadows of the forest, he could see tentacles. 'Is it possible?'  
  
The tentacles started to disappear but Strider used his speed to confront the creature. "Tevesh Szat? Impossible...the only survivors were a few members of the Weatherlight crew and Urza!" The dark planeswalker gave a smirk. "Where do you get your news from? Urza nearly became corrupted because of Yawgmoth's magic and Phyrexian science. He engaged Gerrard Capashen in a battle to the death for the amusement of the Phyrexians and the population in the Yawgmoth region. I was surprised that Gerrard won."  
  
The entity gave Tevesh Szat a cold glare. "What about you? I thought Urza destroyed you when you betrayed him. And what about Treva, Darigaaz and the rest? They were fighting in the war as well and surely they died as well."  
  
"You really need to pay attention to the details behind the war. That's the real stuff. I would love to chat but there are places to go and things to do." Strider growled underneath his mask. "Like control the dragons? It's what you tried to do in the war. Looks like you finally got it to work here."  
  
Tevesh Szat gave a cold smile. "I would like to take the credit but there's somebody else being the puppet master. I just work for...it. Catch ya later." With that said, the planeswalker promptly teleported away from the forest. Strider flew back to where Nemata and Verdeloth where residing. "Why didn't you two enter the afterlife?"  
  
"Multani and Molimo both knew that Yavimaya would barely survive the Apocalypse war. We were cloned in order to revive Yavimaya after the war," said Nemata. Strider raised an eyebrow. "Since when did Nature and Water start working together? I thought they opposed each other."  
  
Verdeloth chuckled. "During the war, allies became enemies and enemies became allies. It was hard to tell who was on what side anymore." The entity paled at how much of the story he was missing. "Tell me everything. Now."  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"X-ray glasses?" Sakura glared at Kero. "It's the only thing I could think of. Now be quiet while I scan the forest for Strider." She placed the glasses on her eyes, made thanks to Create's power, and eventually found him with several treefolk, elementals and a lot of dead saprolings.  
  
They were about to walk toward him when he teleported away and came directly in front of them. They let out a small yelp before catching their breath. "What the hell is going on?! Where's Rith?!?" Silence was the entity's only answer. "Well?!?" Strider gave a sigh. "No Rith here but now I'm unsure about the magic structure as I know it."  
  
Sakura's hard gaze softened as she noticed the distraught look in his eyes. "What's bothering you?" He shook his head. "I'll have to explain it later. Right now, we have dragons to capture and a friend to save." His voice regained the twinkle it had earlier.  
  
The trio started to fly off until they heard a rather loud crash some distance from their position. They saw Rith soar into the sky with a stone dragon head. 'That looks familiar...' Sakura flew off towards the dragon. "Not again," groaned Kero.   
  
She could almost get in for a sneak attack until she felt someone yank her back. "Let go, I have to get that dragon!!!" Strider gave a sigh. "It will be better if we followed Rith to get an idea of where Li may be. Rushing head first into things like this could lead to disaster."   
  
Eventually, they found themselves at a strange temple with a partially constructed artifact, an arch, of some sort. Crosis and Rith had a quick discussion before departing. Kero and Sakura started to search the area for their lost comrade while Strider studied the arch. 'What are you? I could swear that you were somewhat common in the war.'  
  
Minutes later, a tired and hungry Kero and an upset Sakura met up with Strider at the partially built arch. "Well, all we came up is the big goose egg," grumbled Sakura. "I told you we should have sealed them when we had the chance."  
  
Strider remained silent for a few minutes. "I think I may have an idea about their plans. But there are still a few pieces of the puzzle missing." Kero gave Strider a look. "What about me and Sakura? As far as I'm concerned, we are the ones playing the game without knowing the rules. It looks like there's something else that may be brewing that's deeper and more serious than rescuing Li."  
  
"You're right, Kerberus. The Apocalypse war had distorted the characteristics of the five magic elements. There were only supposed to be a certain number of survivors. However, I found that the dragons are alive as well as Tevesh Szat. Somebody brought them back to life. The dragons, I may be able to understand, but reviving the most treacherous and dark planeswalker is another matter..."   
  
"So, there's somebody controlling the Ur-Dragon?" The entity gave his reply to the vampire's question. "When Li got kidnapped, I felt a sudden life energy change in Rith and Treva before they regained their original life energy patterns. This led me to believe that these reborn versions have been altered to depend on a different type of life energy. Slowly, their mental states have changed to suit the wishes of the source of this life energy. The real spirit of the Ur-Dragon may be still trapped between this life and the afterlife."  
  
Strider gave a heavy sigh. "And the most disturbing part is that now I know for sure that they continue to survive and create endless suffering for others." Kero floated up in front of the entity's face. "Who are you talking about?!" Strider clenched his fist as he spat out the next word. "Yawgmoth."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
Next Episode: Crosis, the Purger discovers the real reason why the other dragons are disappearing all of a sudden... 


	4. Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon: Episode Fou...

Author's Notes: Right about now, I need inspiration. Some reviews would be nice.  
  
Disclaimers: Card Captors belong to CLAMP, all 'Invasion' dragon legends, all 'Legends' elder dragon legends, Tevesh Szat, 'Weatherlight' characters, non-Clow cards that are still represented as spells, some quotes and lots of other stuff belong to Wizards of the Coast. Relena belongs to Sunrise and TV Asahi. Don't sue. I only own Strider.  
  
Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon - Episode Four  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Li Syaoran opened his eyes to the flapping noises in the caves. Darigaaz had returned with some friends and some equipment. The dragon tossed a sack towards the boy. "Eat up, my friend. You have a busy schedule ahead." Li looked inside the sack and actually found something edible.   
  
"I would also like for you to meet my companions. This here is Rith, the Awakener. Beside him are Treva, the Renewer and Crosis, the Purger. Normally, Dromar, the Banisher would be joining us but since Treva saw him stuffing his face full of burned lamb, we shall exclude him from this meeting." Li gave Darigaaz a glare. "Enough with the trivial stuff. What exactly has to be done?"  
  
"It's quite a story that dates back to when the Phyrexians invaded Dominaria. We fought against the Phyrexians but slowly we became corrupted. Take Crosis for example. When he roared, battles ended and massacres filled with blood and slaughter took place. We got what was coming but we have been given another chance at life," said Rith.  
  
"Since our rebirth, we've tried to give something back to the land and the people although there were some aftershock effects from the corruption. The only known way to get rid of those aftershocks is to regain our original powers as well as the power of certain planeswalkers who have died in the war," stated Crosis.  
  
The Chinese sorcerer raised an eyebrow. "Planeswalkers?" Darigaaz gave a smirk. "A powerful spellcaster with the ability to travel between planes of the multiverse. Your friend is a planeswalker since he can shift between dimensions."  
  
Crosis cleared his throat loudly to divert everyone's attention back to him. "The necromancer who gave us life again could not completely restore us to our original state. Our powers have been weakened. Our life energy depends on the necromancer. The powers of the planeswalkers mentioned will certainly restore our natural life energy and our natural powers will reunite with us."  
  
"Right now, we are constructing what was known as a Dragon Arch. In normal circumstances, it would let mages cast Ultima creature cards for a very small cost. We modified it to any non-creature Ultima card," stated Treva. Li blinked. "What does this have to do with me?"  
  
"We need you to search for our personal charm cards and bring them to the arch. We also need you to search for the different planeswalker cards. Each planeswalker has a different part in the magic structure. There would be Lord Windgrace with the Fire element. The card that would be representing his power would be Planeswalker's Fury. Freyalise would be with Nature and her card would be Planeswalker's Favor. Captain Bo Levar is a trickster of the Water nature and his card would be Planeswalker's Mischief. Commodore Guff is with the Light element and his card is Planeswalker's Mirth. Finally, there's Planeswalker's Scorn, representing the Death element however it will not be necessary since the necromancer's powers are similar to the planeswalker itself, whose name was Tevesh Szat." Rith finally finished speaking.  
  
"So, what's it going to be?" Li took a bit of time to let all this new information to sink in. "And if I wish to leave?" The four dragons glared at the boy. "Looks like I have no choice." The dragons regained their light attitude and gave toothy grins.   
  
Chapter 8  
  
"You mentioned Yawgmoth back when this mess all started. I think it was something like the Yawgmoth priests." ("The Defender's Arrival", Episode Four) Strider took a breath to calm himself down. "Technically they are called praetors, Kerberus."  
  
"I hate to butt in on your conversation..." Kero and Strider turned their heads before a stressed Clow mistress. "...but would someone tell me about Yawgmoth?!?!?" The entity and the guardian both rubbed their ears in pain. "Damn, you're loud," grumbled Kero.   
  
"To summarize it in simple terms...Yawgmoth is a Phyrexia which practices magic. The balance of science and sorcery is the main reason why they are allies...correction. Phyrexia practically worships Yawgmoth. There's no higher honour in Phyrexia than dying for Yawgmoth's vision." A whoosh was heard in the sky. The trio turned their heads to see Rith, flying overhead back to the site where they found the arch.  
  
"The rest of the story will have to be told at a later time." The trio rose in the air and started to fly behind the huge dragon. Rith noticed them in the corner of his eye and started to increase his speed. Kero gave a small grin. "The chase is on! Just like that 'Cops' show I saw on TV!! Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?" Strider slowly moved away from the demented guardian.  
  
Rith flew low, into the leaves of the trees of the forest. A huge rumbling was heard and a gigantic beast made entirely of saproling tokens came out of nowhere. "Strider, you never told us that Rith could do that!!" The entity gave a small gulp. "Rith couldn't...I guess this must be a bonus ability that Yawgmoth bestowed upon him."  
  
The giant saproling beast turned towards the trio and started to charge. Kero took the opportunity to transform while Sakura prepared herself for battle. Strider started hunting through his available spell inventory but nothing good was available.   
  
"Kerberus, Sakura!! You hold off the saproling beast and I will stop Rith. Once he is sealed, the beast should no longer be able to support itself!!" Strider flew off to find the dragon. Kero grumbled about how they always get stuck with the intense work before dodging another attack.  
  
The entity flew slowly, keeping an eye out for the dragon. Then something hard hit him on the left. Strider quickly recovered from the attack and looked to see Rith coming around for another attack. The spell inventory started to change as Strider's library (or deck) popped a card to add to the inventory.  
  
'Exile?!? Unfortunately, Rith is a combination of Fire, Nature and Light magic so I can't use the spell...unless I change Rith's magic structure to a single source that's not Light!' Strider dodged the attack and checked his inventory to find something to change Rith's magic structure. "Defiling Tears, release!!"  
  
Rith's skin turned a bit darker as the spell worked its magic but the dragon showed no signs of slowing down his attack. Strider tossed the 'Exile' card, paid the appropriate mana cost and hit the card with his staff. Rith tried to slow down when he saw the card but it was no use. When the entity saw that the dragon was vulnerable, he cast a 'Power Sink' to counter the 'Exile' and sealed Rith while he was still shaken up from the possibility of being erased from reality.  
  
Strider appeared with the new Rith card in his palm. "Well, that's another one down." Sakura and Kero gave weary grins. The beast had stopped its rampage. "So it's been you that's causing this trouble!!" The trio noticed an angry Crosis. Before anybody could react, he shot a beam at Strider, emptying his spell inventory. The trio was about to give chase when the saproling beast started moving again. Crosis laughed. "Did you forget that destroying the creator does not necessarily stop the saprolings it created?"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
Reviews would be nice!!! Thanks to summer school (for a new English OAC credit. I didn't fail anything!), my writing time is limited. The more reviews I get, the more sleep I lose and the more writing I get done.  
  
Next Episode: The Dragon Arch is finally constructed. Now Li must hold his end of the 'deal'...  
  



	5. Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon: Episode Fiv...

Author's Notes: The volvers are entering the story!! Thanks, AnimeGamer!!!  
  
Disclaimers: Card Captors belong to CLAMP, all 'Invasion' dragon legends, all 'Legends' elder dragon legends, Tevesh Szat, 'Weatherlight' characters, non-Clow cards that are still represented as spells, some quotes and lots of other stuff belong to Wizards of the Coast. Relena belongs to Sunrise and TV Asahi. Don't sue. I only own Strider.  
  
Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon - Episode Five  
  
Chapter 9  
  
"Damn!!! I must have been thinking about saproling creation from a 'Saproling Burst' instead of Rith!!!!" 'I guess Verdeloth's story is weighing more heavily on my mind than I originally thought.' The trio had to scatter to avoid the saproling beast's attack. Crosis took this opportunity to quietly slip away.   
  
"Man...we're doomed." Strider rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Kerberus. I do keep some cards active in case my spell inventory is nuked. And right about now, they just finished recharging so they should be able to give me a small spell inventory to work with." The entity concentrated on the Jayemdae Tomes, Urza's Blueprints and Archivists to replenish the inventory.  
  
"Well?!?" Strider pulled out a card. "Got it!! Slay, do your stuff!!!" The Death card flashed for a moment and the saproling beast blew up instantly, splattering the trio with dead saproling bodies. "Hmmmm...I didn't expect an explosion of this magnitude." Strider's thoughts were interrupted by the simultaneous "ahems" from Sakura and Kero. He shifted uncomfortably at the unhappy glares they were giving him.  
  
************  
  
Darigaaz tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the final pieces of the Dragon Arch to be brought in by Rith and Crosis. The golems were watching Li as usual. A few minutes later, a tired Crosis flew in the vicinity with his piece of the Arch as well as Rith. "What happened?" thundered Darigaaz.  
  
"The boy's allies have sealed Rith and Dromar," growled Crosis. Darigaaz swore before regaining his calm mood. "Then we must simply adapt to this new situation...check out the salvage pile and see if you can pull out some items that may keep our friends busy." Crosis grunted before heading out. Treva came over to take the pieces and installed them on the arch. Darigaaz's shadow towered over Li. "Let's get started."  
  
Crosis started digging through the pile of artifacts and dead creatures (they can be reanimated by Yawgmoth) to find something that would most certainly keep the trio away from the site. An artifact, that looked vaguely familiar, caught his eye. He leaned closer to look at it.   
  
The Yawgmoth essence inside Crosis recognized this weapon almost instantly. It was because of this that Yawgmoth had to retreat from Dominaria. It was going to be hard to use but with all the land being restored, the special lands would come back as well. What made them so special is that they can produce two different types of mana...not exactly like the originals in Terisiare but it's better than nothing.  
  
The artifact was placed in a position, far from the site, where it would be able to tap into the special lands. Crosis then started channeling the mana from the Coastal Tower, the Salt Marsh, the Urborg Volcano, the Shivan Oasis and the Elfhame Palace to power up the Legacy Weapon. The dragon gave a twisted grin as he aimed his sights on the unsuspecting trio.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
"It's your fault, you know."   
"Kerberus..."   
"Maybe things would have been different if you told us the story from the start instead of letting it weigh on your mind."  
"Please sh-"  
"But no...now you're stuck doing guard duty while me and Sakura have to scrub these sticky dead saprolings off."  
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHUT UP KERBERUS!!!!!"  
  
Strider took in deep breaths to calm himself down. Being an entity, hygiene didn't really matter to him. All he needed to do was fire up his ki and the dead saprolings would melt away from his body. The odor the saprolings left also fizzled during his small power up. However Kero and Sakura had to go and find a source of clean water to drive the stench away.   
  
His mind wandered once again to the Apocalypse war. He thought about the magic structure and how it had been unchanged for eons until the war. Basically, the structure would go like this. Light would be at the top part of the pentagon. Going clockwise, it would be followed by Water, Death, Fire, Nature and eventually back to Light again. Since Light is surrounded by Water and Nature, they are considered allies. Fire and Death would naturally be enemies of Light since they are out of Light's reach. The pattern for allies and enemies is the same for all elements. It had always been this way...a few enemy magic crossovers happened in Terisiare but that's it.   
  
Strider sensed a gigantic amount of energy flying towards their area at an extraordinary rate. 'What in the...' It was heading straight towards him!! He flew up and the energy path followed. 'The energy pattern...it must be the Legacy Weapon!!!'   
  
He kept flying towards the source with the energy beam right behind him. There was the Legacy Weapon, angled in a position to tap into the energy the special lands could produced as well as Crosis. Strider took out a card and started to channel mana energy into it. Crosis roared and flew up to attack the entity.  
  
He tried to fire his special beam to disable the spell inventory but Strider dodged it in time. The beam from Crosis and the beam from the Legacy Weapon collided...with the Legacy Weapon beam erasing the other beam from reality. Strider finished gathering the energy and hit the card with his staff. "Detonate!!!!!"  
  
The Legacy Weapon exploded like a firecracker and a final beam of energy headed towards Crosis, hitting him hard and reducing his health drastically. Before Strider could seal him, Crosis flew away faster than normal. "Yawgmoth's upgrade saved you from your fate but it can't do that forever."  
  
Strider looked at the destroyed artifact and pulled out a Water card. "Reconstruction, restore this weapon to its glory before it was used by evil!!" Moments later, a new Legacy Weapon card was inside Strider's library. He teleported back to where Sakura and Kero were cleaning up. The entity started to hear splashes and laughter. "Hey...wait!! cough No fair, you control the water!!" Strider gave a small chuckle before resuming guard duty.  
  
************  
  
"So I'm looking for your charms...which have all fused into a physical form of a Chinese dragon? Now it makes more sense..." Darigaaz gave a small panic nod. His superiors at Yawgmoth must have gotten their stories mixed up. Li continued searching inside the arch. Suddenly, something popped out of nowhere, knocked Li over and came out of the Dragon Arch.   
  
The Yawgmoth essence inside Darigaaz recognized the creature immediately. "A Necravolver?!? The Dragon Arch is supposed to provide a gate only for Ultima spells!!!" The volver noticed Li's aura. "As the champion of the Necra movement, I will bring rise to a new era in the Nightscape and destroy all traces of our old allies! Since you have Fire element magic running in your blood, you must die!!!" The volver gave a battle cry before charging towards the dazed boy.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
If you have no idea why the Necravolver is attacking Li, you should go back and read the paragraph before Strider sensed the Legacy Weapon beam. If you still don't get it, let me know and I'll do what I can to explain it further.  
  
Next episode: Due to the Dragon Arch being altered from the amount of damage it took during the Apocalypse war, unpredictable and deadly forces from the Apocalypse war are able to come through the arch... 


	6. Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon: Episode Six

Author's Notes: I'm free of my English OAC summer school course!!! I did decent enough that my parents would not restrict my internet access!! Things for me have been slowing down, including the writing. I could really use some reviews.  
  
Disclaimers: Card Captors belong to CLAMP, all 'Invasion' dragon legends, all 'Legends' elder dragon legends, Tevesh Szat, 'Weatherlight' characters, non-Clow cards that are still represented as spells, some quotes and lots of other stuff belong to Wizards of the Coast. Some ideas belong to Terry Pratchett. Don't sue. I only own Strider.   
  
Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon - Episode Six  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Darigaaz unleashed his deadly flame-thrower at the Necravolver. It saw the attack and deflected the attack just in time. The volver sniffed Darigaaz's scent and gave a confused look. "Your aura is allied with both an enemy power and an ally power of the Necra faction! I don't understand!" Darigaaz smirked. "Really? I expected you to know the basic ally-enemy system that had been universal until the war."  
  
The being took a bit of time to think. "Nature...Fire...Death...you can tap directly into the Thunderscape and its allies!!" The dragon's smirk widened. "Ding ding ding!!! What do we have for him, Johnny?" "Aren't you supposed to be dead, Darigaaz? From the reports shown around in the Nightscape, you were hit by a Terminate spell," murmured the volver.   
  
"Things have changed quite a bit around here. I suggest you take some time to look around." It pondered what the next course of action should be and came up with a reasonable solution. "I'll deal with the two of you later." Moments later, the volver had disappeared. Li recovered from his dizziness.   
  
"What just happened?" Darigaaz started to examine the Dragon Arch and found the problem. "A part of the gate is damaged, probably from taking punishment during the war. I'm not sure what new surprises that will be sprung upon while we use this...but we have to go through with it."  
  
"Are you crazy?!? A...something surprised me and caught me off guard!! I don't think I will be going back in there until I have my weapons back!" Darigaaz scratched his chin before coming up with a solution. "I will accompany you when you enter the Dragon Arch. Treva will watch us from outside the gate and Crosis will be on perimeter guard. Do you think you will feel safe then?" Li glared at the smug dragon. "Whatever. Just watch my back...and no funny tricks!!!" Darigaaz held up his right claw. "No tricks."  
  
He found himself back in that void except this time, there was a dragon following him like a bodyguard. Before Li could start searching again, a blue streak came at him. Darigaaz batted it away and deflected it to the Dragon Arch opening. "A Cetavolver...it's been a while since I seen that."  
  
"So these are old fragments of the Apocalypse war." The dragon nodded. "That's right. There are bits and pieces from all three phases." A puzzled look made its way onto the boy's face. "Would you care to further explain these phases?" Another volver whirled by the two and headed towards the gate.   
  
"I classified the war into three phases. I was still able to watch since I could not cross over into the afterlife yet. Each phase represented a significant plan or event. The first phase was the actual invasion of the enemy. The Phyrexians swarmed the land with its air and ground troops. The second phase was the ultimate plan of the planeswalkers: to journey over to the Phyrexian and Yawgmoth planes and destroy them. The plan was called 'Operation: Planeshift', I believe. Last but not least, phase three: ultimate chaos. I'll explain it a little later. Right now, it is a good idea to avoid those charging Spiritmongers."   
  
Chapter 12  
  
"I...can't go on...so muggy..." Strider snorted before placing the small guardian on his shoulder. "I expected that you would be able to handle the sharp increase in temperature." Kero lifted his head to reply. "As I recall, you stated that this area was as hot as Yavimaya! From what I saw back in that forest, Yavimaya seemed to be pretty cool!!"  
  
A smirk made its way underneath the entity's mask. "You haven't seen all of Yavimaya. The heat generated by its fire is an inspiration for creatures to increase their speed in combat." Kero wiped some sweat off of his head. "By inspiring, it means if they're too slow, they get roasted, right?"   
  
"No. The Nature element of Yavimaya prevents the fire from going overboard. That fire represents the inner flame all creatures possess. When any creature looks at the fire, they can feel the adrenaline boil in their blood. That's why Fire and Nature are an excellent combination. Mages can tap into the power of the fire and create an advantage for himself in combat." A small 'shhhhh' noise was made. The two looked at Sakura, who had obviously found something to be of great importance. Then a familiar aura hit Strider's senses. Crosis was nearby...as well as another aura.   
  
The trio watched silently as the two combatants battled in the air. Crosis tried to fire his specialty beam but the other being dodged it. The dragon still retained his calm look. "You can not win. I'm stronger than you in attack and defensive power!!! Even with the power of Light and Nature to guide you, defeat is inevitable!!"  
  
A small chuckle came from the dragon's opponent. "You are overestimating yourself, Crosis. So far, you have not been able to land a single shot on me and you're well aware that I can combine Death magic with either Nature or Light and create rather interesting effects."  
  
"Excuse me but the Stormscape practices Water magic which can counter everything you throw!! Since they are one of the Nightscape allies, I'm sure they wouldn't mind sparing some counter magic for you!!" Another cold chuckle came from the being. "I can hear that small quiver of fear when you spoke those words."  
  
A ball of energy formed in the palm of the creature's hand. Before Crosis could react, the creature tossed the ball. "Vindicate, destroy this pathetic excuse for a dragon!!" Strider quickly took out his staff and sealed the dragon into a card form. Without the target, the creature's spell fizzled.  
  
The entity turned to get a good look at the creature. "I never knew volvers had the ability to use magic." The Necravolver grinned. "When you're the champion of a rebellious movement, you need to be flexible." Before Strider could shoot back a reply, the volver vanished through a teleportation spell.  
  
"Just what the hell was that?" The entity kept his gaze on where the Necravolver vanished. "A Necravolver, a warlord from the Apocalypse war." Kero just gave a groan. "War. All wars practically come from politics. As far as I'm concerned, nobody should meddle with political affairs. Magic and politics just don't mix well together."  
  
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Where did you learn that, Kero?" The guardian beast crossed his tiny arms. "Clow Reed lived by that philosophy ever since he witnessed the disaster that started a war which lasted for two decades."   
  
"With Treva and Darigaaz still alive and the unexpected appearance of the Necravolver, other elements of the old war may appear. With all these old elements, another war may be inevitable. We may have to get involved," stated Strider. "So the original plan to rescue the kid and scram is cancelled? What about the rule about not meddling? Don't you live by it, Strider?" asked Kero.  
  
"Kerberus, as you progress up to the state of total magical balance, you learn that there is another rule. I've learned this particular rule during my stay on Discworld and I've obeyed it ever since that day." The curious guardian leaned closer. "And that would be?"  
  
"When you break rules, break them good and hard," said the entity with a mischievous tone.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
  
I've been reading some Discworld books by Terry Pratchett. They combine fantasy with humour. Some of my favourite parts have been with Death consoling King Verence and the witch trio talking to a demon named WxrtHltl-jwlpklz (how you pronounce that, I have no idea).   
  
Next episode: Li is thrust into the Phyrexian Arena and forced to battle a mysterious warrior to obtain one of the charms while Sakura, Kero and Strider are stuck in the middle of a battle between the battlemages and the volvers... 


	7. Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon: Episode Sev...

Author's Notes: Nothing much happening. School starts in a few weeks so treasure what's left of summer vacation. I know I will...by working on the computer, trying to get fanfics out.  
  
Disclaimers: Card Captors belong to CLAMP, all 'Invasion' dragon legends, all 'Legends' elder dragon legends, Tevesh Szat, 'Weatherlight' characters, non-Clow cards that are still represented as spells, some quotes and lots of other stuff belong to Wizards of the Coast. Don't sue. I only own Strider.   
  
Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon - Episode Seven  
  
Chapter 13  
  
An energy attack deflected off of a Stormscape Apprentice. "Thanks for the save!!!" The Stormscape Master nodded before heading off to disable the Ceta Sanctuary. The Cetavolver gave a growl before ordering the Ceta Disciples to protect the Sanctuary. He turned to block an attack from a Stormscape Battlemage.   
  
"I see what you mean by breaking the non-meddling rule, Strider," said Sakura before she ducked under an energy attack from a Thornscape Battlemage. Strider was still gathering the mana energy to seal everything belonging to the five planes and their rebellious movements. "Allies and enemies unite to overthrow the common foe."  
  
Kero flew out of the way of a charging Sunscape Battlemage. "Let me get this straight...these guys base their allies and enemies all from this pentagon?!?" (See episode 5) Strider took a small breath. "There are five planes which all practice a different style of magic. The Nightscape practices Death magic but crosses over into Fire and Water magic. Why? Because Fire and Water are Death's allies on the pentagon. The Thunderscape focuses mostly on Fire but uses Nature and Death magic as well. The Stormscape has expanded itself to use Light and Death magic and not just Water. The Thornscape taps into Nature most of the time but uses Light and Fire magic from time to time. Last but not least, the Sunscape uses Light magic as its primary source and taps into the powers that Nature and Water can bring."  
  
"So all these guys came from the Dragon Arch?!" The battlemages have started a general charge thanks to their new power up from the Thunderscape and Sunscape Masters. "Yeah. Back then, each plane had an army consisting of one Master and several apprentices, familiars and battlemages. The Masters can cast Ultima level spells that tap into magic that consists of their primary element and at least one ally of that element. An example would be the Nightscape and Stormscape Masters both being able to cast Undermine."  
  
Strider paused. "Undermine is a counterspell which also makes the caster of the spell countered lose some life. It consists of both Water and Death mana energy. That's why the Masters can do that. They also have natural abilities they can use by simply tapping into the mana of their allies. For example, the Thunderscape and Sunscape Masters used their natural abilities that derive from Nature to pump up their army. And Nature is a common ally to both the Sunscape and the Thunderscape. The apprentices also have natural abilities like the Master but it's to a smaller extent. They can't cast any spells. The familiars are simple creatures with minimal abilities. All they do is make spell casting easier for the Masters."  
  
The rebellious factions held their ground to receive the charging battlemages and apprentices. "The battlemages are something completely different. They have been genetically altered to do certain abilities once they have been given one or both ally mana energies. An example would be with the Thornscape Battlemage. Give Fire mana and he can shoot little bits of damage for a while. Give Light mana and he'll blow up an artifact. Each battlemage has been differently altered by their respective plane. So just because the Thornscape and Stormscape Battlemages both can use Light mana doesn't mean their abilities are the same." Strider's tone startled some of the charging battlemages. "I heard something." "Don't take any chances! Blast it!!!"   
  
Chapter 14  
  
"Here, charmy, charmy, charmy. Here...this is getting us nowhere!!" Darigaaz gave a small smirk. "Well, the first time we did this, we found Treva's Charm. We should keep trying until we find another charm." Li gave a groan. "Here, charmy..."  
  
A flash of light blinded the boy and the dragon. When it cleared, Li found himself in the centre of an arena and Darigaaz found himself to be sitting in the spectators area. "What the...?" A cloaked figure stepped forward. "Do you seek to claim the charm of Crosis, the Purger?"  
  
"Uh...yeah. Just what is going on here?" The cloaked figure snapped his bony fingers and the charm appeared on a cushion, resting on top of a pedestal. "His charm is ready for you...if you can defeat the Phyrexian representative." Li gave a start. "Phyrexian?!"  
  
"Yes. This is the Phyrexian Arena where the final battle between Urza and Gerrard Capashen took place. This was also a source to gain access to additional Death magic spells for the Yawgmoth Priests and other mages."  
  
"What about this Phyrexian representative?" A chuckle came from the figure. "This fighter is powerful but in the end, Crovax dealt the final blow. However, since she has links to both Phyrexia and Yawgmoth, she has returned from the dead quite a few times. There have also been some incidents with the Nightscape but we won't get into that right now."  
  
A vortex opened and out stepped a spider-shaped creature. She had four arms and four mechanical legs. In a way she almost looked like...Li dismissed the thought from his mind and got into a battle stance. The woman gave a maniacal grin before she started to attack.  
  
Li had little time to get out of the first attack. "Damn, she's fast!!!" Darigaaz was trying to fire a flame-thrower but he couldn't help him (with the fact that nobody is allowed to give any physical help) except with verbal advice. "She probably has first strike!!! That gives creatures an edge in speed during combat!!"  
  
"Not cool!!!!" Suddenly a pair of arms grabbed him and the woman tried to punch his face constantly with her other two arms. Li reared his head back and bashed it against her, forcing her to release him. Before he could shake the headache off, she started attacking again.  
  
Li whipped out his charm and turned it into his sword. "How did you get a hold of that?!" The boy held it out to distance himself from his opponent. "I told you I wouldn't go back without at least one weapon. I decided to sneak one past in case you couldn't lend a hand...er...claw...whatever."  
  
The woman smirked and tossed out a weapon of her own. It looked like some sort of rod. The two dueled with their weapons for a few minutes until Li started to channel a magical attack. "Force, know my plight..." His opponent raised an eyebrow. "Magical combat, eh?" She started to channel a magical attack of her own.  
  
"...release the light!!" His sword started to hum with electricity. The woman kept on concentrating in tapping into Death's power as well as its allies. Finally, Water energy mixed with Death to form the ball of magic that she held in one of her four arms. "LIGHTNING!!!" The woman realized that she didn't have much time and tossed her spell at Li. "Lobotomy," she said in monotone. Darigaaz felt his spirit sink when her spell hit Li before he could raise his sword.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
  
Three more episodes to go!!! Yay!!! I hope I can get the rest of this season done before school starts.  
  
Next episode: The trio fight their way to the Dragon Arch and Treva... 


	8. Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon: Episode Eig...

Author's Notes: Won't be too long before school starts. (Epsilon dodges all sorts of items thrown by disgruntled fans who are already aware of that fact) Unfortunately, that's reality. So dive deep into this episode and forget about your troubles...until I mention something like this again in the next episode unless I get more things to rant about.  
  
Disclaimers: Card Captors belong to CLAMP, all 'Invasion' dragon legends, all 'Legends' elder dragon legends, Tevesh Szat, 'Weatherlight' characters, non-Clow cards that are still represented as spells, some quotes and lots of other stuff belong to Wizards of the Coast. One thing belongs to Mainframe Entertainment. I only own Strider.   
  
Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon - Episode Eight  
  
Chapter 15   
  
"Come on, kid. Snap out of it!!!" The boy could only manage a groan. Darigaaz started to mentally panic. 'Lobotomy...it just had to be the Lobotomy. Unless it gets countered, it practically strips mages of their magic. The caster of the Lobotomy finds a spell in the spell inventory and erases it from reality, regardless of whether it has been cast or already cast.'  
  
The cloaked figure started counting. "One...two...th-" Li shook himself out of his trance and flipped back up. "For a lady, you're pretty damn rude. You didn't even let me finish!!" He thrust his sword in her direction and the lightning that he had been storing up shot out of the blade.   
  
The woman couldn't dodge it in time and fell to the burst of energy. "One...two...three...the battle is over. We recognize this boy as the victor. Since you would like to possess the charm of Crosis, the Purger, we give it to you as your trophy."   
  
The arena suddenly vanished. Li stood in the middle of nowhere with another charm in his hands. Darigaaz flew up to him. "What puzzles me is the fact that you were unaffected by the Lobotomy spell." A small smirk made its way to the boy's lips. "Maybe it's fate, trying to speed up this mission and get this over with."  
  
"An interesting theory but unlikely. The magic you possess is not the typical magic that mages in this world practice. Lobotomy attacks one spell and erases it from reality, regardless of whether that spell is in the spell inventory, their library of spells kept in their memory or in the graveyard after it has been already cast. You don't seem to possess any of those magical attributes." Li shrugged. "I guess that makes me a unique sorcerer." Darigaaz snorted. "All sorcerers are unique. Everybody may copy certain styles of magical combat but they each have their own specialty deep within."  
  
"Right..." Darigaaz gave Li a glare. "I have witnessed your specialty in magical combat. It's your family sword which I thought you left behind. Don't you trust me to watch your back?" The boy looked at Darigaaz as if he was the biggest moron in the galaxy.   
  
"I trust you as much as I trust Kero not to bite my finger when I call him a stuffed animal." The dragon blinked in confusion. "Kero...?" Li ignored Darigaaz and got back to the mission on hand. "Here charmy, charmy, charmy...I thought all the charms fused together into a Chinese dragon." The dragon shrugged. "With the Dragon Arch's current condition, everything has become disoriented from what it used to be. We better hurry up and find the rest of the charms. The planeswalkers' powers will have to wait."  
  
Chapter 16  
  
"You should have listened to me, Strider. Meddling has its price. I mean, look what happened to Polonius, the lord chamberlain in that weird play revolving around a guy who can't make up his mind!!" Sakura gave a start. "I thought you only ate, slept, played video games and helped me capture Clow cards. I didn't know you were involved plays!!"  
  
"I read about it in the Dark Woods area in Zylon Warriors: Mystic Might expansion," said Kero proudly. Strider gave a telepathic snort. Why am I not surprised? Anyway, I made a slight miscalculation but now I only have to deal with five pissed off volvers. The disciples and their respective sanctuaries are sealed along with the armies of the Sunscape, Stormscape, Nightscape, Thunderscape and Thornscape. Had we not meddled, there would be no forest left, would there?  
  
"I guess. But now you have to deal with those powerful spells that the volvers can cast like those freaky Prophetic Bolts and Death Mutations." Don't worry about it, Sakura. The Crimson and Obsidian Acolytes have sufficient power to stop those spells. I can also use their spells to my advantage with Misdirections and Deflections. I'll just have to be careful that the Rakavolver and the Cetavolver don't use a Suffocating Blast to counter my spells. Just keep going and I'll catch up to you at the Dragon Arch.  
  
[Mid-episode interlude]   
(Hey, it's done all the time in Action Man: Doom Strikes Back)  
  
During the third phase of the war when each type of magic turned away from its allies and fused with their enemies, factions had erupted from within each plane of magic. The Stormscape had been attacked by the Ceta faction, who wanted to ally with Fire and Nature, Water's enemies. The Sunscape ran into the Dega faction who had plans to ally with Fire and Death. The Thunderscape became surprised by the appearance of the Raka faction. The faction's allies were Water and Light. The Thornscape became overrun with Death and Water mages from the Ana faction. Then it came down to the Necra faction, who started the entire process by acquiring spells from Light and Nature and combating the Nightscape. Each faction had several disciples who were the equivalent of apprentices. They also had volvers, a fusion of battlemage and master. Finally, the sanctuaries provided a base of operations and gave additional bonuses which were only activated if permanents of their ally colour were present in the base. The Dega sanctuary gave life, Necra sucked it from opponents, Ana gave creatures attack and defense bonuses, Raka dealt damage to its enemies and Ceta gave methods to go through the spell library quicker for its mages.  
  
[End interlude]  
  
"I don't suppose they're going to let you seal them easily as you did the others." Relax, Kerberus. I already have my little trap set up for the Cetavolver, the Necravolver and the Degavolver. All I need to do is activate the Order side of the two split cards I recently drew into my spell inventory.  
  
[Mid-episode interlude]  
  
Split cards have two separate spells on them. Mages can choose which side they will use. After they have chosen, they declare which side they choose, pay the mana cost and that side will activate. While the spell is resolving, the side not chosen remains out of phase. As for the origins of split cards, that will have to be told in another story.  
  
[End interlude]  
  
The Wall of Nets, enchanted with Entangler and Inviolability will erase the ground volvers from reality until I'm ready to seal them. Order will do the same since the Rakavolver and the Anavolver are on a rampage. How are you guys doing? No response. Hello?  
  
"Strider, I'm going to put this as delicately as possible," stated Kero. An explosion rocked nearby. "We're doomed." Sakura gave him a glare. "Kero!!" "Let's face it, Sakura. We can't take on Treva and her two giant mechanical dragons at the same time. We have to retreat!!"  
  
"Forget it!!! I'm not even considering that option!!" Sakura flew back into battle while Kero gave a sigh. Well, this is an interesting development. Kero dodged another strike made by one of the mechanical dragons. "She's in one of those moods again. I told you we're doomed!!!!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
  
The last part is a part I saw on TV. One of my old favourite TV shows to be exact. Two more episodes to go.  
  
Next episode: Freyalise gives Li a warning while the trio tackle Draco and Tek, who can't be easily killed thanks to Treva's healing power...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon: Episode Nin...

Author's Notes: Nothing to rant about for today.   
  
Disclaimers: Card Captors belong to CLAMP, all 'Invasion' dragon legends, all 'Legends' elder dragon legends, Tevesh Szat, 'Weatherlight' characters, non-Clow cards that are still represented as spells, some quotes and lots of other stuff belong to Wizards of the Coast. I only own Strider.   
  
Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon - Episode Nine  
  
Chapter 17  
  
"You see our little dilemma? With Treva constantly using her healing magic to protect herself and these two giant monstrosities, we are stuck here!!" For a split second, Sakura's vampiric side took over. "Will you stop your whining?! Make yourself useful and focus on obtaining a solution!!"  
  
Strider came up behind them. He took a look at the two artifact creatures and gave a 'mm-hmm' in a tone which suggested that this is going to be a piece of cake. "Those guys look difficult but the solution is rather simple. Yawgmoth is controlling all three of these dragons. It has only one primary source of mana and that is through the swamps. They can still send mana to Treva to activate her ability using Cameo artifacts and possibly Diamonds but eventually, they will run out of Light mana."  
  
He pointed to the large dragon that looked like an exoskeleton. "Draco here is a powerful flying force but has to be constantly maintained if the controller does not have all five basic primary sources of mana. He is putting a lot of strain on Yawgmoth's resources. Our other mechanical friend, Tek, can only maximize his bonuses if the controller has all five basic primary sources: plains, islands, swamps, mountains and forests. Let's see what's in the old spell inventory." A small pile of cards appeared in his hand. He picked a card up and flipped it. (If you watched the opening sequence of Digimon: Season 3, this is the same flip sequence the Digi-tamers do before they slide the card through the digivice)  
  
It had two sides: Water and Nature. An enemy split card, created by the combined efforts of the Ceta and Ana factions. "Reality." The Nature side of the card powered up. Strider struck the card with his staff and a beam shot out of the card to destroy Tek. {Side note: When a card is destroyed, it normally takes a few moments in order to transfer to its controller's graveyard (where destroyed permanents and used spells go to and can not be used again unless the controller has spells to use his or her graveyard as a resource, such as Raise Dead and Relearn). Strider can seal a card as his own before it is transferred to the controller's graveyard.}  
  
"Now for the big, fat Draco. Ray of Command!!" The Water card shot out a beam to Draco who stopped his rampage and turned to the entity, waiting for orders. "The spell won't last long...where is that...here we go!! Death Bomb!!!" Draco had been sacrificed to accompany the additional conditions of the Death Bomb spell. The result: a dead Treva, the Renewer and some damage dealt to Yawgmoth at the same time.  
  
"That was easy enough. I'll seal up these guys and you two wait up at the Dragon Arch. And don't do anything foolish. This means you, Sakura." Kero stopped gawking while Sakura rolled her eyes. Then they silently made their way to the unguarded gateway.  
  
Chapter 18  
  
"You must be kidding me. We shouldn't be going for the planeswalkers' powers? For crying out loud, those guys nearly put Yawgmoth out of commission last time. If they fall into the hands of the enemy, who knows what problems may arise for us in the future!!" The Eastern Paladin shot a glare at his ranting counterpart.  
  
"The first priority is to obtain the charms of each dragon. Once Darigaaz has all five in his possession, he can tap into the Ur-Dragon's powers. The only unknown variable is the Chinese boy. He shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as Darigaaz watches him carefully." The Western Paladin gave a sigh. "Allowing the planeswalkers' powers and spirits to remain free could jeopardize the mission," he muttered.  
  
"Your concern is noted. Now stop worrying. Tevesh Szat will make sure that the boy does not meet up with any of the planeswalker spirits." The door behind the two knights opened. "And even if the situation goes out of control on that world, we can simply switch to a different plan." The Western Paladin gave a small start at the voice of the newcomer. "General!! You have fully recovered!!!"  
  
"The reconstruction of my original body went faster than I anticipated. Now I require a status report. Ever since the Clow mistress sealed my temporary body, I've been stuck in limbo and had to wait until reconstruction was complete. I was fortunate to at least be returned to Yawgmoth, using a 'bounce' spell generously donated by our Water allies."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey, kid!! Where did you go off to?" Darigaaz grumbled. He didn't like the fact that the boy is starting to break off onto his own. 'Better get back on task before I lose sight of my objective.' So far, four of the five charms had been obtained by Li and Darigaaz. Once Darigaaz obtained the fifth charm, he could escape and collapse the gate, leaving everything inside trapped.  
  
In the distance, he could make out the shape of an object that looked like his personal charm. A cold smile formed on Darigaaz's lips. Apparently, luck was on his side. The dragon flew over to the charm's location. 'I can feel the power...'  
  
The charm started to glow as did the other four charms. Then they all disappeared inside Darigaaz's body. He started to changing. His skin became metallic, his wings transferred itself from his head to his back and he grew larger. His eyes went red and there were black streaks over his metallic skin, signifying Yawgmoth's presence in him.  
  
"Enjoying your new look?" Li's voice rang out from the fog. Darigaaz narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You were the one who found the charm and placed it here for me? I must say that I'm touched by your kindness." Darigaaz could sense that the boy's aura was near.  
  
"I didn't do it out of kindness. I did it so you could stand a fighting chance against me. After all, if I took you down before you obtained the final charm, you would have no chance and it would be dishonourable." The dragon nearly laughed. "Do you really believe that you can stand up to my new power?!"  
  
"Yeah...considering that I met someone after I wandered off. Freyalise told me an interesting story about how deep Yawgmoth's influence can go and asked me to banish that influence from this world. I wasn't sure how to do that but then she gave me a little boost of power. Then I met her friends who wanted the same thing as well and they gave me their powers." He stepped out. Darigaaz blinked twice at the new look. Li looked like a seventeen year old boy. He still had a green shirt and white pants but he also had a red sash on his waist and blue boots (think Goku from Dragon Ball Z). His family crest, a phoenix, appeared on the front of his shirt. He now had a long braid and a small bald spot on the front of his head (watch 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and look at Chow Yun-Fat's hairstyle. That's what I'm talking about). The boy got into a battle stance. "Show me what you got!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
  
Well, the fight between Li and Darigaaz was inevitable. Sorry if I was too predictable.  
  
Next episode: The trio try to hold off Tevesh Szat from interfering in the fight while Li and Darigaaz go all out in a battle royale... 


	10. Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon: Episode Ten

Author's Notes: All right!! Now the real fun stuff can begin!!  
  
Disclaimers: Card Captors belong to CLAMP, all 'Invasion' dragon legends, all 'Legends' elder dragon legends, Tevesh Szat, 'Weatherlight' characters, non-Clow cards that are still represented as spells, some quotes and lots of other stuff belong to Wizards of the Coast. I only own Strider.   
  
Chronicles of the Ur-Dragon - Episode Ten  
  
Chapter 19  
  
"You should have finished me off when you had the chance for I will not share your foolish sense of honour," sneered Darigaaz. He launched himself in the air and charged at the boy. Li channeled mana energy to activate Freyalise's enchantment, Planeswalker's Favour. A small slot wheel started turning and the number shown was three. He had been prepared to intercept the dragon. However, as soon as he activated that power, all of it disappeared and he even lost some of his natural strength as well. 'What?!?' Before he could begin to analyze the situation, he was hit full force by Darigaaz's charge.  
  
'Damn...gotta pull together. Looks like I have to deal with Tevesh Szat as well. Planeswalker's Mirth!!' The slot number rolled was once again three. Some of Li's health begin to rise again. 'Man, I really hate the slot machine part of the planeswalker enchantments!!'  
  
(flashback)  
  
'I can't let Darigaaz get his hands on the final charm. Not until everything else has made sense and worked out.' A gentle, green glow appeared out of nowhere and startled Li. He quickly drew his sword and a slip. "Please calm down. I am not your enemy."  
  
Slowly, the glow started to take the shape of a woman. She had blonde hair and green eyes. She almost looked like a fairy with the outfit but she had no wings and wore a green cloak. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Freyalise, planeswalker who commands the forces of Nature." The boy did not flinch. "What do you want with me?"  
  
"Your help to finish a job that should have been done back in the Apocalypse war. The destruction of Yawgmoth. I can smell its stench from the dragon." Li lowered his weapon cautiously. "So Yawgmoth is possessing Darigaaz or something?"  
  
"They are only using his dead body. His spirit along with the spirits of the other four dragons roam around this realm." Li blinked at the owner of the new voice. Three more glows, one red, one blue and one white flashed before him and took different forms. The red one turned into a humanoid who had the physical characteristics of a cat. The blue one turned into a human with a brown mustache and beard. The white one turned into a middle-aged man with a white beard.  
  
"The hot-headed planeswalker is Lord Windgrace. The wise old man is Commodore Guff and last but not least, we have the mischievous Captain Bo Levar." Li put his weapons away and crossed his arms. "So where exactly do I come in?"  
  
Lord Windgrace regarded him coolly. "We're going to give you our planeswalker enchantments so you can complete our mission. Each enchantment's power should be the equivalent to a planeswalker. However, it needs to be activated by mana energy...and an opponent's spell inventory."  
  
Chapter 20  
  
"W-what?!" Guff pushed his glasses up a bit. "You already know how to tap into Ley Lines so tapping into different lands for mana shouldn't be a problem. The tricky part is the slot machine mechanic of the enchantment."  
  
Freyalise took over for Guff. "You first pay the activation cost of the enchantment. Then a slot machine will appear and it will select a card from an opponent's spell inventory at random. Then it will check the casting cost of the card. That will be the primary focus of the enchantment's power for one phase. For example, you get the number six when you activate Lord Windgrace's enchantment, Planeswalker's Fury. The Fury will then deal six damage to one target."  
  
A smirk made its way to Lord Windgrace's face. "The only exception to this rule is Captain Bo Levar's enchantment, Planeswalker's Mischief." The captain snorted. "My enchantment is much simpler and is more handy in some situations. The enchantment will show you a card at random. If it's a spell that is not a permanent like an artifact or a creature, then for one phase, you can use it without paying the mana cost!!"  
  
"Enough bickering, the both of you!!" The two gave a startled look to the now annoyed Li Syaoran. "If Yawgmoth threatens every world, then I will do my best to stop it. Let's do this." Freyalise gave a small smile.   
  
"Also, watch out for Tevesh Szat." Li looked at Guff. "Who?" "He was a traitor. Sided with Yawgmoth in the end. And knowing Yawgmoth, he is probably still alive out there. His enchantment, Planeswalker's Scorn, does the opposite of what Freyalise does. She strengthens creatures. He weakens them. If he tries to do that, use my enchantment and grab some health back. One more thing. Our enchantments will now be considered to be both in the field and in your spell inventory so be careful."  
  
(end flashback)  
  
The boy was still partially dazed from Darigaaz's attack. Tevesh Szat gave a grin and prepared to activate his enchantment. Suddenly it transformed into a card and flew behind him to where the trio stood. Strider shook a finger. "No cheating." The planeswalker was about to shoot back a reply when he heard Yawgmoth's voice in his head. FORGET ABOUT THE ENCHANTMENT. WE HAVE FINALLY DEVELOPED A METHOD TO RESTORE YOUR FULL POWERS. WE ALSO THREW IN SOME BONUSES AS WELL. RETREAT NOW.  
  
'What about the dragon?' THE UR-DRAGON MISSION HAS BEEN RESCINDED FROM PRIORITY LEVEL 1. Tevesh Szat gave a small nod before opening a vortex and leaving the realm. "Right!! Darigaaz shouldn't stand a chance against the four of us!!" Strider grabbed Sakura before she could fly off. "Let Li do this alone. He needs to rediscover his worth in our party."  
  
He barely dodged another attack. 'I keep getting the number three...because that is the total casting cost of the charms. And Darigaaz told me that the charms can be classified as non-permanent spells!! Okay, captain, let's see what mischief we can cook up.' Li activated the enchantment and got Treva's Charm which had the option of erasing an attacking creature from reality. Darigaaz unleashed his flame-thrower but Li got out of the way and threw the card at Darigaaz. "Option 2, please!!!" When the card hit, Yawgmoth's control became erased while the remains of the body and the other charms turned into cards. "I did it..." The warrior fainted from exhaustion.  
  
The next thing he knew, he was lying on someone. Strider and Kero were watching him with concerned expressions. "Are you all right, kid?" He tried to get up but the person pulled his braid to yank him back down. "Relax...I still want to play with your braid." He looked up to see Sakura, playing with his hair like a kitten.  
  
"I had to seal the planeswalker enchantments since they took a lot out of you. But the charms fused into you, since they needed a new host." Li looked at himself. He had a black silk shirt with a blue sash around his waist. A Yin-Yang symbol was on the back in red and white. He also had his family crest in blue on the front. Green pants and black boots finished off his new look.   
  
"We have to finish off Yawgmoth and end this whole thing." Strider nodded grimly. "The problem is that I can't tell if I can recreate the vortex that Tevesh Szat used. Another matter is how we are going to get out of here." Li gave a small start. "We're trapped?!?" Kero nodded. "As soon as you won the battle, the Dragon Arch gateway collapsed." The idea of being stranded in the arch for eternity with deadly spirits from the Apocalypse war was the only thing Li could think about. He didn't even acknowledge the amount of pain he was getting by letting Sakura tug on his braid.  
  
END SEASON 4  
  
  
That's it!!!! It's done!!! Yay!!! This must be a confusing season so if you want me to clarify anything, leave a review.  
  
Next season: "The Yawgmoth Agenda" Two new allies join the group in the fight against Yawgmoth but problems arise when they lay eyes on a beautiful, young woman for the first time...  



End file.
